David Wartski on Mays Brown's First Four Months and Future Outlook

By: David Wartski

Since joining Gallagher Bassett, Mays Brown Solicitors has focused on continuity, client confidence, and careful integration. For Director and Founding Partner, David Wartski, the early months have reinforced the strategic rationale behind the deal: The firm has retained its specialist ship owner/operator focus while gaining the support, relationships, and infrastructure of a larger global business.

David sat down to reflect on Mays Brown's first months within the Gallagher ecosystem, the early lessons from the acquisition, and how his firm is positioning itself for the next stage of growth in marine law.

Mays Brown Solicitors became a Gallagher Bassett Company in May 2026. What has been the firm's main focus in the months since?

Our immediate focus was ensuring a seamless transition for clients, and feedback has been positive. In the lead-up to completion, the team was managing the transaction alongside a full client workload, so the first priority was making sure service levels remained strong and clients continued to feel well supported. We've approached the first few months carefully, ensuring continuity in the quality of work our clients have come to expect.

Has Mays Brown achieved any early milestones? And what is the team focused on now?

Internally, we're focused on embedding our systems, strengthening our wet and admiralty capability, and integrating the Newcastle team — a recent addition which helped grow the practice from nine to 15 lawyers. We also plan to bring further expertise into the business, so the team is focused on building a platform for future growth.

How has the team found the cultural integration with Gallagher Bassett?

It has been very positive. From the outset, we were made to feel genuinely welcome, with people across Gallagher and Gallagher Bassett taking the time to reach out and offer support.

That matters when a specialist firm joins a much larger organisation. We wanted to retain the identity and client focus that made Mays Brown successful, and the integration journey has been supportive, practical, and culturally aligned.

Acquisitions require clear client communication. How are you explaining the benefits of the deal and maintaining market clarity?

For us, clarity is essential. Our clients know and trust the Mays Brown brand as a firm that specialises in providing expert guidance to owners and operators of vessels. Our communications have reinforced that we remain focused on that market, while highlighting the growth that we anticipate from joining Gallagher Bassett.

Transparent communication builds trust, particularly after an acquisition. The benefits of the deal are clear, as is our commitment to maintaining and expanding upon our specialist positioning and best practice. Our growth has been disciplined, conflict-aware, and tied to genuine market need. That's the message we're reinforcing with clients.

What changes are you seeing in the marine law space? And where do you see opportunities for Mays Brown to develop over the next five years?

Geopolitical tension and sanctions remain constant issues for the shipping sector, while generative AI is already changing the way clients approach legal matters. Across the industry, clients are increasingly using AI to form preliminary views or prepare draft responses before seeking legal advice, which is changing the role lawyers play. AI may be useful to support routine legal analysis, but shipping disputes are rarely one-size-fits-all. Clients still need strategic judgment, tactical advice, and experience in managing complex matters. That's where Mays Brown Solicitors will continue to devote attention.

At the same time, I see more opportunity for growth. As firms have become more multi-service, the market has fewer large, shipping-focused firms than it once did. There's space for a practice that combines deep specialist expertise across the full range of owner/operator maritime services with the scale, systems, and backing to support sophisticated clients.

Our ambition is to build Mays Brown into one of the UK's preeminent full-service shipping firms, but not at the expense of the personal touch that clients value. In the near term, that means strengthening and expanding upon our existing offering and utilising the wider Gallagher Bassett infrastructure intelligently. Longer term, it means adding capability where it strengthens the core proposition and helps clients resolve matters more effectively.

Mays Brown Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No. 615313).